The Story of Rust
by Slight Negative
Summary: Yellow goes to the Unova Region to practice her healer skills. But when a boy names Rust comes in with a rude attitude, she will do everything she can to change him. YellowXOC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Unova

It was around one pm. A fourteen year old girl was walking towards Pallet Town. Her Pikachu was following closely behind. This girls name was Yellow.

"Professor Oak told my Uncle that he had an offer for me. I wonder what he meant by that." Yellow wondered out loud. She thought to herself for a while before shrugging and continued walking to the Lab. When she arrived, Professor Oak was sitting at a desk, writing something down in a book. Yellow knocked on the door, he turn and saw the young girl and stood up.

"Yellow, come in. I'm sure your uncle told you, I have a special offer for you. You're still a Pokémon Healer right?" Oak asked, rummaging through some papers on his desk.

"Yes I am. Why?" Yellow answered. The Professor then picked up a gold piece of laminated paper.

"Well, I want you to continue practicing being a healer. There's a region far away from here called Unova and it's filled with new Pokémon that you won't see in Sinnoh, Kanto, Johto, or Hoenn. It's also filled with a lot more trainers and Pokedex holders. Do you accept?" Professor Oak explained.

"Of course I do!" Yellow cheered.

"I wish you luck. Here you go." He handed her the ticket and walked away. Yellow smiled before running out of the lab and not stopping until she reached the ship. She handed the man waiting at the bottom of the stairs her ticket and trudged on deck.

"The Unova region, it sounds amazing. I can't wait until I get there. All those Pokémon and trainers." Yellow stated before leaning on the rail of the ship.

(Several Hours Later)

As the Ship drew closer and closer to the dock of Unova, Yellow cheered before running to where they would let off the passengers. Once the stairs were set, Yellow ran down and she was quickly in a small little town. She then walked past a sign.

"Welcome to Nuvema Town." Yellow read. "Guess this is Nuvema Town. Strange name but whatever." Yellow kept walking. "Professor Oak left me a note on the back of the ticket that said to go to Professor Juniper's lab. I wonder where that is…. Never mind." Yellow walked up to a large building with a sign that said 'Pokémon Research Center. Professor Juniper.'

"Looking for someone?" A woman asked from behind her.

"Yes. I was going to look for Professor Juniper." Yellow answered.

"That's me, what do you need?"

"You're Professor Juniper?" Yellow questioned but then held her hand out. "I'm Yellow."

"Yellow? Did Professor Oak send you because of your healing powers?" Juniper asked.

"Yes."

"I know why you're here. Follow me."

*Inside The building*

"Professor Oak said that your healing would work great on Pokémon around here. So let me tell you about some of the trainers you should look out for. One of them goes by the name of White. She chose a Snivy as her starter Pokémon." Juniper then handed Yellow a picture of White, who had a white shirt under a black, sleeveless vest and a white and pink hat over her brown hair.

"Is she a Pokedex holder?" Yellow asked.

"Yes. The next is Black. He is White's friend. His starter was a Tepig." The picture showed a boy with brown hair covered by a red, white, and black hat. He also had a blue jacket. "The last trainer is one you will have a problem getting along with. His name is Rust and his Pokémon was an Oshawott, but he also caught a Snivy." The trainer has black, somewhat short hair that fell over his face a little. He had brown eyes and an angry expression. He was wearing a Brown, sleeveless jacket (similar to Red's) with a white stripe going down the middle. He had a Black T-shirt underneath and brown fingerless gloves, blue jeans, and brown boots.

"Why is he going to be hard to get along with?" Yellow asked.

"I don't know. He came in one day. Got his Pokémon and his Pokedex. White said they try to be friends with him but he ignores them. You can try to befriend him, but it will be hard." Juniper informed.

"I'll try, don't you worry!" Yellow then ran from the room and out of the building. She then saw a trainer crouched down in front of a yellow Pokémon that seemed to be injured. The trainer was rubbing the Pokémon's arm that was wrapped in gauze. Yellow then started to walk over.

"Do you need something?" The boy asked. He then stood up and turned around. Yellow recognized him; it was Rust, the Pokedex Holder.

"Um, I saw your Pokémon was injured and I wanted to help. My name is Yellow."

"Wait right there. I don't need your help so I don't need your name." Rust said.

"I was only trying to help you." Yellow raised her voice a little.

"I'm trying to help my Pokémon. Leave me alone." Rust helped his Pokémon up and they walked away. Yellow sighed as she watched him walk off.

"Don't worry about him." A young voice said from behind Yellow. She turned to see a young boy, around ten years old, who resembled Rust. "My brother has trust issues. He doesn't trust anyone but his family and his Pokémon. We don't know why he acts like that but he just does."

"So that's why he's being a jerk?" Yellow asked.

"Pretty much." The kid sighed. "Do you think you can help him? He's already fourteen and we haven't spent much time together." The little boy sighed.

"I can try." Yellow said.

"Thank you." The little boy hugged her before running off. "By the way, my name's Mason!" Yellow waved before turning back to the direction that Rust ran off in. She then ran in his direction and she eventually caught up to him. He was standing in front of the Pokémon center with his Pokémon. They were about to walk in before Yellow called out to them.

"What do you want now?" Rust asked.

"I want to help you."

"I don't need your help! Don't you get it?"

"Rust. Your brother told me you have trust issues. How do your friends feel about that?"

"I don't have friends. And I don't want any." Rust then helped his Pokémon walk to the Pokémon center.

"Wait!" Yellow then ran over to Rust's Pokémon and put a hand on its arm. "Your Ampharos is injured, I can heal her."

"Are you crazy?" Rust asked. Yellow closed her eyes and after a few seconds, Ampharos moved her arm and the cast fell off.

"Does that explain it?" Yellow asked. "I'm a Pokémon Healer."

"Whatever. I guess I should say thanks so there. Happy?" Rust asked as Ampharos walked behind him. "Good bye then." Rust started walking away again but Yellow grabbed his shoulder.

"I made a promise to your brother. I'm not going to tell you what it is but I want to travel with you." Yellow turned him around so he was looking straight at her.

"First of all, I barely know you. Why would I trust you?" Rust asked.

"You only trust your Pokémon and your family. You are going to trust me one way or another!" Yellow yelled, getting in his face. Rust sighed. He grabbed her hand and pushed it off.

"Fine, but just because it's for my little brother. You better not be lying." Rust then headed off with Ampharos, Yellow and her Pikachu following close behind.

"If I was lying, you would've given in easily." Yellow teased.

"I can tell already you're gonna get on my nerves." Rust shook his head.

A/N: That's the beginning of my next story. Sorry if Yellow is OOC or if that's not actually how she heals Pokémon. I have read the Pokémon Adventures Manga but I haven't gotten to read the books with Yellow but I am a fan of both her and Green so I had to make this. Please take the time to review or give me some suggestions. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

I apologize to you people. I haven't updated any of these stories in a long time. (A really long time) ((A Really, Really, Really long time)) But I'm gonna try to get an update to any of my works in progress. That includes "Hoenn again" "NH: DP" "URC" and other stories, including stories that aren't in the Pokémon series. Anyway, this is my first story I am updating since I finally started reading Pokémon Special again.

Chapter 2: Rise of Team Plasma

As the two walked on the long road, Rust ignored Yellow's attempts at making any sort of conversation whatsoever. After trying for about half an hour, she finally stopped trying, which made Rust smile a bit, showing a bit of relief.

"Come on Rust, you're not working with me here." Yellow complained after a few moments of silence.

"There you go again." Rust sighed. "And just when I was enjoying the silence." He continued.

"Didn't anyone tell you that no one likes stuck up jerks like you?" Yellow asked, holding back her yell.

"If you think I'm such a jerk, then why not leave now?" Rust asked, intentionally forgetting the question.

"Hey! I asked my question first!" Yellow yelled out, an angry anime mark on her head.

"I've been told that people don't like jerks like me. Look… Yellow is it? Don't forget, I don't care about other peoples' opinions about me. Maybe one day I will, but until then, I only care about my Pokémon and family. I don't need anything else in my life, alright?" Rust answered, walking a bit faster, trying to get further away from Yellow.

"If you do start to care, all the people you brushed off will just hate you in the end." Yellow caught up to him.

"Maybe it'd be for the better." Rust glanced over at her.

The two argued the entire way to Accumula Town. Since it was Yellow doing most of the yelling, Rust was more away and took notice of the group of people gathered around a crudely built stage area and there was a line of people, dressed as if they were in the Middle Ages standing perfectly still.

"I wonder what's going on there." Rust said quietly to himself. Yellow was still talking, even though he'd been ignoring her. He put his arm around her and covered her mouth. "Quiet hot head. I want to know what's going on here. I don't want your loud mouth interrupting that, okay? I'm trying to be nice about this." Rust let Yellow go.

"Okay, fine." Yellow sighed quietly. "Wait a second! I am not a hot head!" Yellow started again but Rust covered her mouth again.

"Fine. Quiet Yellow." Rust turned to the stage and waited. One of the people standing in the middle moved up and to the side, letting a man walk through and the person returned to his original spot.

"My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation." The man said. Voices whispered out from the crowd.

"Pokémon liberation? What does that mean?" Yellow asked.

"I know just as much as you do." Rust answered.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth?" Ghetsis continued. "Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers... They get pushed around when they are our "partners" at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"

"They aren't selfish commands… are they?" Rust asked quietly.

"I don't know, it depends on how you look at it." Yellow answered.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?" Ghetsis paced back and forth on the wooden stage.

"I think he means he wants to free Pokémon from the trainers." Yellow guessed. Ghetsis heard her and looked straight at her.

"That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention." With that, Ghetsis and the line of people walked off of the stage. The crowd was almost completely silent.

"They can't liberate Pokémon!" someone spoke from the crowd.

"Humans and Pokémon are equal! There's nothing selfish about being Pokémon trainers!" Another person yelled.

"That guy's crazy. He doesn't understand what he's talking about. Right Rust?" Yellow looked over to Rust, he seemed to be in a state of shock. He didn't respond. He seemed to go pale. "Rust? Rust, are you okay?" Yellow took him by the shoulders and started gently shaking him. "Wake up Rust. Come on." Rust blinked and then stared at Yellow.

"Oh. Sorry." He apologized before reaching to his belt and grabbing the three Pokeballs on his belt. He stared at them as he rolled them around in his hand. "Are they really forced?" He asked out loud. "Are Pokémon only used for selfish purposes?" He took one Pokeball from the three in his hand and enlarged it.

"You can't be serious Rust. Did you see how that guy was dressed? No one in their right mind would go out like that in public, let alone believe that Pokémon are being used as slaves." Yellow assured. Rust put the Pokeballs back on his belt and sighed.

"I guess you're right." Rust whispered.

"Wow. This is the longest you've gone without insulting or ignoring me. You must be warming up to having a friend." Yellow teased.

"What?" Rust turned a little red. "I'm not warming up to having a friend. I was just deep in thought."

"So you're not warming up to me being your friend?" Yellow asked.

"Exactly!" Rust stated. "Wait a second! You're not my friend!" Rust caught on. Yellow started to laugh.

"So what did you two think about that little speech?" A tall, green haired main walked up to them.

"That guy is dumb. Pokémon aren't used for selfish reasons." Yellow answered.

"Really? I thought he had the right idea." The young man said.

"So you believe Pokémon should be liberated?" Rust asked.

"Well. Yes, but not from some trainers. I have some different viewpoints the Ghetsis. But never mind that, I saw you with those Pokeballs. Why not have a battle with me?"

"Wait, wait. Let me get this straight. You want Pokémon to be freed, but yet, you want to have a battle with me?" Rust asked. The green haired man nodded.

"I want to see how you treat your Pokémon. Oh, and by the way, just in case we meet again in the future, my name is N." N pushed his hat up a bit.

"That's a weird name… doesn't matter. If you want a Pokémon battle, then I accept." Rust pulled a ball from his belt.

"Good. That's what I was hoping for." N smiled and tossed a Pokeball. A purple, leopard like Pokémon appeared. "My Liepard should pose some kind of threat." N put Liepard's Pokeball back and waited.

"My Snivy should be a good opponent against your Liepard." Rust released his new grass type and it faced Liepard.

"I challenged you. So you can get the first move." N said.

"Snivy, start out simple. Attack with a tackle." Rust ordered. Snivy ran at Liepard and rammed into him. Snivy used the rebound to flip back towards Rust.

"Not a bad choice since she's still a starter. But choosing a starter was a bad choice against my already evolved Liepard. Perhaps you should have used your Ampharos against me. At least she is fully evolved." Stated.

"How did he know I have an Ampharos? How did he know that they were both female?" Rust asked himself, making him lose concentration.

"Aerial Ace!" N called. Liepard shot towards Snivy, making Snivy's eyes grow huge in fear.

"Rust! Snap out of it!" Yellow yelled. Rust shook his head and saw Liepard shooting towards Snivy.

"Snivy! Dodge it!" Rust shouted. Snivy ducked out of the way as Liepard zoomed past but she circled back and slammed into the back of Snivy, sending her tumbling forward.

"Don't you know that it's impossible to dodge Aerial ace? It shows how much you have to learn. Liepard, finish this up." N crossed his arms. Rust didn't seem to hear N talk. He ran over to Snivy, knelt down and held her. "Giga impact Liepard!" N yelled. Rust still ignored him. Liepard shot at the two. Spiraling streaks surrounded a coat of purple energy surrounded Liepard as it gained speed.

"Snivy, are you okay?" Rust asked as Snivy held her cheek in pain. "Looks like I'll have to get you to a Pokémon center."

"Rust! Look out!" Yellow shouted. Rust looked up and saw that Liepard was approaching quickly. He held Snivy close to his chest and closed his eyes. "Don't worry Snivy, I'll protect you."

"So he's risking his life to save his Pokémon? Interesting." N said to himself. Rust was still tucked over his Snivy. Just as Liepard was a few yards away, he felt an impact from the side and he, along with Snivy, tumbled out of the way of Liepard.

"Are you okay?" Rust opened his eyes and looked up. Yellow was smiling back at him.

"Did you just…"

"Save your life? Yes I did. Good thing too. That hit might have put you out for hours… or maybe for good." Yellow answered.

"Rust." N called. "The next time we meet, we will battle again. Just make sure that next time, you don't threaten your friend's life." N returned his Pokémon and walked away.

"How's Snivy?" Yellow asked, knelt beside Rust.

"She's still conscious. That's good." Rust sighed with relief. "Oh and Yellow?"

"What is it?" Yellow sat down. Rust raised his right hand and hit her on the head. "Ouch! What was that for you jerk!" Yellow rubbed her head.

"You tackled me when that Liepard was about three yards from us." Rust answered.

"So you hit people who save you?" Yellow yelled.

"No, I hit people who're stupid." Rust stood up. "You could've gotten yourself killed. I don't want to have someone's blood on my hands, okay?" Yellow blinked.

"So you don't want something bad to happen to me?" Yellow asked.

"Not at the moment. But I do appreciate that you risked your life to save mine." He started to walk towards the Pokémon Center. "Keep it up, and I might reconsider this friend thing." Yellow smiled and silently cheered to herself.

A/N: I finally got another chapter in. And I made it twice as long as I planned it to be. I'll work on Hoenn Again next, since that's one I haven't updated since June. Here's the list.

Hoenn again

URC

Dawn of Reunion

(Another Unrelated Story for High School Of the Dead)

New Heroes

So that's the game plan. URC will be easy, maybe, but I'll need to dig through the messages again. Okay, with that, I say good day


	3. Chapter 3

I lied. I wasn't gonna update any of those stories that I said I was. Instead, I kind of deleted most of them. I am trying to continue Hoenn Again but I am skipping most of the journey which I know will make some people angry but trust me, it's for the better. I figured I should work on this story considering it has the fewest chapters out of all my current stories. Plus, Yellow is one of my favorite Pokémon girls and I think she needs more attention than May and Ash anyway.

Chapter 3: Pokémon Therapist

Yellow skipped happily beside Rust. After traveling with her for only about a day, Rust had gotten used to Yellow's hyperactive personality but he still didn't fully accept her. Her Pikachu had seemed to be running in sync with her skips. Rust glanced down at the happy yellow mouse. He then thought about why his own Pokémon hadn't stayed outside their Pokeballs.

"Yellow. Why do you let your Pikachu stay out of its Pokeball?" Rust asked.

"Well that's a silly question. The reason for that is…" Yellow's face went blank after that. Rust stopped walking and stared at her.

"So you're telling me you just let your Pokémon run wild?" He started to question. "What if they decided to run away?"

Yellow stared at him for a second, taking in what he had thought up. After a few moments, she started to giggle. After that, it went into a straight out laugh attack. Rust had considered lifting his hand and slapping her for not only not answering the question, but laughing at it as well.

"What the hell's so funny?" Rust yelled, clearly annoyed.

"Oh it's nothing dear." Yellow calmed down. The word 'dear' made Rust cringe a bit. Yellow crouched down and let her Pikachu climb up her arm and onto her head. "I know little Chuchu here wouldn't want to leave me."

"Chuchu…" Rust had the expression that clearly read "Are you kidding me?" Yellow ignored his slight interruption and continued. "Besides, if Chuchu had wanted to leave, she would have done it already. If I were to make a Pokémon want to leave, then I'd deserve it, no?" Yellow finished with a large smile. Rust thought about her answer.

"Do you think my Pokémon would leave me?" Rust started to worry a bit. Yellow smiled at him.

"That all depends on how you act, and how you treat your Pokémon. " She walked to him, took one of his Pokeballs and placed it in his hand. "Is it shaking?"

"What?" Rust asked, sounding very confused.

"Trust me. Just answer the question."

"It's… It's not much. A little budge every now and again. I wouldn't call it shaking. More like twitching." Rust described.

"Your Pokémon is afraid of you." Yellow said with a bit of disappointment in her voice.

"Why would Snivy be afraid of me? I risked my own life to save hers. I'd do anything just to make sure she's safe. The same goes for all of my Pokémon." Rust's voice cracked. He was trying to hide the fact that he was afraid.

"Calm down. You'd only have to be afraid if it were shaking uncontrollably."

"B-But she's afraid of me. W-What have I done to make her fear me? I try to-" Rust stopped talking as he felt Yellow's smaller hands cover his that held the Pokeball. He felt his face heat up a bit as he stared at her.

"It's not afraid of how you treat her. She's afraid of how you treat others. You treating me like crap isn't very healthy for the Pokémon. She fears that you're gonna treat everyone like that." Yellow took her hands slowly away from Rust's. Rust actually didn't want that to happen. For the first time, he actually wanted her to be against him, unlike any other time she'd been annoying him. He slowly moved his hands along with hers, trying not to make it seem like he was trying to keep up with her.

"Rust… What are you doing?" Yellow asked. Rust jumped a bit. He pulled his hands back and quickly reattached the Pokeball to his belt. He ignored Yellow's question and straightened his brown vest.

"So how do I make her unafraid of me?" Rust asked, trying to hide his light red blush.

"Treat others better. When you treat everyone like piles of trash, your Pokémon can only assume that that's how they're going to be treated." Yellow dug her hands into her pockets. Rust took in a deep breath, only to let it out in a long, very audible sigh.

"Alright." Rust began, swiping some of his hair out of his face. "How do I go about 'being nice' to others?" Yellow smiled cutely at him. "You can start by not making rude comments towards me or anyone we meet. Come on. You have a gym battle to get to." She took a hold of his hand and started jogging. "If you're still mean after that, perhaps I could pummel some kindness into you." Yellow winked at him.

"Don't say threatening things so cutely like that!" Rust grunted.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Striaton City

Once again, Yellow was acting like a hyperactive mess. Though most of it was just because she wanted to shake off what had happened between the two just hours before. She'd never had a boy want to hold her hand. Rust had never wanted to hold someone's hand. With Yellow, something had told him to not let her go.

Though Rust had decided to erase the event from his memory, he had been a lot nicer to Yellow. He avoided telling her to shut up and he hadn't insulted her like he did at the beginning of the journey.

"Keep walking…Almost there… and we're here! Beautiful Striaton City!" Yellow cheered as the pair entered the city's boundaries.

"No need for the introduction. I've lived here my whole life. I know what Striaton looks like." Rust's voice sounded a bit less monotone than usual.

"I'm trying to be entertaining, dear Rust." Yellow wagged her finger towards him.

"Trust me, you're entertaining enough. There's no need for the tour guide act."

"Oh, whatever. Just go to the gym and win your badge already. I've got some important things to do. I'll meet you back here at five. Good luck." Yellow turned to head for the shops when Rust stopped her.

"Wait, you're not gonna watch my first gym battle?" His voice told that he was clearly, but not deeply, hurt.

"Oh, suddenly you want me around?' she smirked as she said the sarcastic line.

"Well… I didn't like the idea at first, but then I realized that you're probably going to be sticking around for the rest of my Pokémon journey, so I thought you'd like to watch my first gym match." Though his voice was as unemotional as ever, his face was a bright red. Yellow couldn't help but return the blush and she snickered a bit.

"How about this, Rusty? You go get your spot in line for the gym and I'll go get some supplies. Don't start the battle without me, okay?"

"Fine. Just hurry up. I don't want to keep the poor gym leader waiting, alright?" Rust crossed his arms and Yellow only smiled.

"Don't worry, I won't be long." She waved, spun around and dashed towards the market.

(Transition)

Rust walked up to the tall, fancy looking building. His hands were buried in his pockets as he slowly walked up the front steps of the building. His feet barely moved as he climbed the stairs, as he was trying to waste time in order for Yellow to have enough time to watch his battle. With a light sigh, he pulled out his Pokeballs, staring down at them and wondering how he would come to win in this gym.

Upon entering the gym, he was surprised to see how the interior was designed. It looked nothing like the battlefields he saw on television or in video games. In fact, there wasn't a field in sight. There were only tables and chairs set up. People were occupying them and eating. Rust felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders.

"Sorry to keep you waiting~" A blue haired male apologized. "We'll get you seated and served right away. Just follow along with me." The man led him to an empty table, setting out a menu for him and bowing to him. Rust was obviously confused, but decided to just roll with it. "I guess since I'm here, I might as well eat…" He ordered some rice and stake without much of an expression.

Meanwhile, Yellow was dancing around happily in the town market. Chuchu barely managed to cling to the straw hat her owner was wearing. She hummed out loud as she bought various foodstuffs. "I know Rust doesn't like me too much now, but at least he'll appreciate the food I'm bringing him, right? I can even make a lot of food and have a picnic with him! That'll make him like me. At least I hope it does."

Of course, completely unaware of Yellow's plans, Rust had devoured more than just his original plate of food. He had ordered about two more and some desert. Despite his slim figure, he was able to put down a lot of food. The blue haired boy, which Rust was informed that his name was Cress, approached him. "I see you're all finished up. Is there anything else you need or would you be wanting the bill?"

"I'll… wait. There's one thing I came here for." Rust stood up to meet Cress at eye level. "I want to battle the gym leader." With that, the restaurant fell silent and everyone inside of it immediately turned to face Rust. "D-Did I say something wrong? Am I in the wrong building?"

"Not at all, my friend, valued customer, and soon to be opponent." Cress snapped his fingers. In a split second, two other men, one with green hair and the other with red appeared at Cress' side. "Welcome, fellow Pokémon trainer, to the Striaton City Gym!" The trio cheered simultaneously. Rust only sweat dropped, slightly feeling embarrassed that the group of gym leaders had just preformed like that in front of him.

"Right… If there are three of you, how do I determine who I battle?" Rust asked, trying to forget the image of the three in his head.

"Simple, trainer!" Cilan yelled, startling Rust in the slightest. "There are two steps to this, depending on the answer to the first question." Cress explained, holding up two of his fingers. "First, tell us where you received your starter Pokémon from!" Chili continued.

"U-Uh… I got my starter from… Professor Juniper." Rust answered, slowly reaching to his Pokeball belt to grab his Snivy's Pokeball.

"Step number two! Who was your starter?" Chili continued the steps that they had previously informed Rust of.

"Sniv—"

"Then you shall be battling me!" Chili cut Rust off, immediately knowing the name of the starter. "I am the fire type gym leader of Striaton City! I am Chili, and if you beat me, not only will your entire meal be free, but you will receive this!" He held up the Trio Badge. "This will be your first step to becoming a Pokémon Master!"

"Now we're talking." Rust grinned, clenching his fists. "Let's do this!"

(Transition again)

Rust stood on his end of the battlefield, keeping his hand readied over the Pokeballs as if he was in a standoff. Chili readied his Pokeball, smiling confidently at his opponent. "This will be a simple one on one battle. You must use your starter Pokémon." He ruled, enlarging his Pokeball.

"Alright… I'm ready. Snivy, go!" Rust threw his ball, releasing his small grass type.

"Aha~! I hope you're prepared to lose to my prized Pansear!" He released his fire type, making Rust's jaw drop. "Wait a minute! That's not fair! You tell me to use my grass type starter just to battle with a fire type?!"

"Silly boy!" Chili declared. "That's how it's always been! You didn't think that we'd take it easy on you because we're your first gym battle, did you? Ha ha ha! It's always been this challenging right off the bat!"

Rust growled, clearly irritated by the rules of the gym. "I swear… Oh forget it. Snivy, you better not lose this! Don't let a small disadvantage overcome you! Let's start this off with a simple tackle attack!" Rust ordered, Snivy followed his orders, charging at the fire monkey and ramming it to the ground.

"Ahahaha~! That won't do you any good! Pansear, use incinerate!" Rust's eyes widened as he cursed himself. This would be far more difficult if he tried to continue using close quarters moves. He'd have to resort to using grass types moves, even if they were ineffective.

"Dammit.. okay, Snivy, get away from Pansear and use vine whip!" Rust was a bit desperate at this point, but he had to try anything he could. Snivy, knowing the disadvantage, still went along and tried to attack Pansear. Chili could only laugh as his Pansear countered Snivy with another incinerate attack.

"If you continue to fight so foolishly, the fight will be over before you've even started." Chili began to get on Rust's nerves. Rust was just about ready to just risk everything in a series of tackle attacks.

"You better not lose in your first battle, Rust!" Yellow laughed as she watched the battle. "You're not even a minute into this battle and you already look like you're going to give up. Be the aggressive man I know you are~" Yellow cheered him on, which made Rust smile a bit.

"Let's do this Snivy." He grinned, feeling like he can win this after all. "Snivy, use Vine whip to constrict Pansear!" Rust finally thought up a plan. Chili was obviously a bit taken back. He didn't expect Rust to use his attacks as a trap. Rust's plan worked flawlessly, trapping Pansear where he stood. "Leaf tornado!" Snivy engulfed the fire type in the attack. Though the grass move didn't do much initial harm, being trapped inside slowly took a toll on Pansear.

"Don't let them beat you with such a simple tactic! Use incinerate to burn away his vines!" Chili demanded. Pansear tried to comply, but the storm was getting far too intense for the fire type monkey.

"Just keep it going for a little longer, Snivy. You can do this." Rust encouraged. Snivy never let up. Pretty soon, it was just an unfair battle. Pansear was possibly knocked down ages ago, but the vines and wind kept him standing. The referee blew his whistle.

"Pansear is unable to battle. The winner of this gym battle is Rust!"

Rust cheered, telling Snivy to finally let up and calling her into a hug. "You did excellent out there~" Rust praised, petting his Pokémon's head. He clearly treated Pokémon much better than humans. Yellow ran down to congratulate him.

"You finally won your first gym badge! I guess you can thank me for that though. Until I cheered you on, you didn't even have a chance~" Yellow teased, lightly elbowing Rust.

"I… was just leading him on. You don't have to be so cocky about everything." Rust puffed his cheeks childishly, hiding the fact that it actually was her encouragement that let him think up the plan. Chili walked to the pair, holding the badge out in front of him.

"You came up with an excellent strategy back there on the spot. You've earned this. You are now officially on your way to the Pokémon league." Chili handed Rust the badge, in which Rust pinned to the inside of his sweater. "Also, that means your meal here is entirely free. Have a great day, and good luck on your journey."

Rust bowed his head, starting to actually warm up to others thanks to Yellow. Speaking of Yellow, she seemed to have a rather irritated face on.

"Free meal? You ate here without me?" She glared at him, narrowing her eyes slowly.

"Well you went off to shop, and I had no idea this was a restaurant." Rust nervously rubbed the back of his head. Yellow growled at him.

"Not only did I make food for us to eat, but when you find a meal and get it for free, you exclude me?" Yellow seemed to be getting rather agitated for the first time upon her arrival. She lunged at Rust, which he was narrowly able to avoid. He turned and started running for the door with Yellow hot on his tail. "Get back here so I can kill you!"

A/N: Look at that, I finally completed another chapter. I don't plan on taking another long hiatus. I'll try to work on all of these updates this weekend. I'm not making any promises though. Until then, good bye~


End file.
